copper fouling

cruzerlou · 05-24-2006, 02:31 PM

i have a wby vangaurd in 300 wby mag .it has aox 120 rds through it and has been cleaned after every 20rds. it has BAD copper fouling .is this because it is a belted mag ? i have only shot remington express 180 gr core-lok and federal premium trophy bonded bear claws in it .any help would be great . thanks p.s. none of my other rifles have this problem

Snakebite · 05-24-2006, 07:07 PM

With 120 rounds through it, it should be about broken in. It sounds like the barrel my be a little rough and has machining marks in it.
I have two rifles that do this. Its not a problem unless I shoot a lot in one afternoon and then accurracy goes down the tubes.
There is always JB's bore paste to smooth out the barrel. I have never used it though so I cant say. If you reload you can buy bullets with progressively finer abrasive grit to smooth it out.
It sounds like you are doing a great job with breaking it in and cleaning though. I'd try another 100 rounds before I did anything.

cruzerlou · 05-24-2006, 07:32 PM

thants for the info,for the 1st 20 rds i cleaned & flitzed the barrel after each round to lap it in per craig broiditon of guns&ammo . the gun came with a factory target with a 1 1/16 group but i have never shot better than a 2 1/2 at 100 yds using a steady rest. my model 700 sps in .308 shoots 3/4 at 100yds so i know it's the gun . i'll keep tryin thanks

MSgtEgress · 06-01-2006, 08:07 AM

Copper fouling will happen even on the smoothest of barrels and non-mags are just as prone as magnums. When really bad will screw up accuracy. I recommend Shooters Choice Copper remover to get it out. If it is a s bad as you say, I'd plug the chamber with a couple of patches. Then pour a couple of tablespoons of solvent in the barrel and plug the muzzle. Place it on its side and rotate to the other side it every 1/2 hour or so for 4-6 hrs. Pull out the plug from the muzzle and drain the solvent and then pull the plug from the chamber end and push a patch from the chamber to the muzzle. Green slime will come out. That will cut the majority of the copper. Then mop the barrel with more solvent it and let it set for 15 min and patch it again. Repeat until the patch isn't green. If it is as bad as you say, once you get it clean I'd get the barrel lapped, or get an outers foul out. It removes the copper electrically (reverse plating). Weatherby’s are finicky on the ammo they will shoot well. If you are a handloader you need to start varying the powder charge to find the velocity for the best barrel harmonics. Here is a string on another forum on how to go about it scientifically.
http://www.gunforums.com/ubbthreads/...b=5&o=&fpart=1
If not I'd start experimenting with different manufactures beginning with Weatherby ammo. (Norma).
Good Luck

05-24-2006, 02:31 PM	#1
cruzerlou Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: charles city va Posts: 35	copper fouling i have a wby vangaurd in 300 wby mag .it has aox 120 rds through it and has been cleaned after every 20rds. it has BAD copper fouling .is this because it is a belted mag ? i have only shot remington express 180 gr core-lok and federal premium trophy bonded bear claws in it .any help would be great . thanks p.s. none of my other rifles have this problem Last edited by cruzerlou; 05-24-2006 at 02:36 PM.

06-01-2006, 08:07 AM	#4
MSgtEgress Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate, NY Posts: 37	Copper fouling will happen even on the smoothest of barrels and non-mags are just as prone as magnums. When really bad will screw up accuracy. I recommend Shooters Choice Copper remover to get it out. If it is a s bad as you say, I'd plug the chamber with a couple of patches. Then pour a couple of tablespoons of solvent in the barrel and plug the muzzle. Place it on its side and rotate to the other side it every 1/2 hour or so for 4-6 hrs. Pull out the plug from the muzzle and drain the solvent and then pull the plug from the chamber end and push a patch from the chamber to the muzzle. Green slime will come out. That will cut the majority of the copper. Then mop the barrel with more solvent it and let it set for 15 min and patch it again. Repeat until the patch isn't green. If it is as bad as you say, once you get it clean I'd get the barrel lapped, or get an outers foul out. It removes the copper electrically (reverse plating). Weatherby’s are finicky on the ammo they will shoot well. If you are a handloader you need to start varying the powder charge to find the velocity for the best barrel harmonics. Here is a string on another forum on how to go about it scientifically. http://www.gunforums.com/ubbthreads/...b=5&o=&fpart=1 If not I'd start experimenting with different manufactures beginning with Weatherby ammo. (Norma). Good Luck Last edited by MSgtEgress; 06-01-2006 at 08:51 AM.

05-24-2006, 07:07 PM	#2
Snakebite Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tucson, Mexico Posts: 1,844	With 120 rounds through it, it should be about broken in. It sounds like the barrel my be a little rough and has machining marks in it. I have two rifles that do this. Its not a problem unless I shoot a lot in one afternoon and then accurracy goes down the tubes. There is always JB's bore paste to smooth out the barrel. I have never used it though so I cant say. If you reload you can buy bullets with progressively finer abrasive grit to smooth it out. It sounds like you are doing a great job with breaking it in and cleaning though. I'd try another 100 rounds before I did anything.

05-24-2006, 07:32 PM	#3
cruzerlou Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: charles city va Posts: 35	thants for the info,for the 1st 20 rds i cleaned & flitzed the barrel after each round to lap it in per craig broiditon of guns&ammo . the gun came with a factory target with a 1 1/16 group but i have never shot better than a 2 1/2 at 100 yds using a steady rest. my model 700 sps in .308 shoots 3/4 at 100yds so i know it's the gun . i'll keep tryin thanks